Veteran felony prosecutor promoted to chief deputy

"Extremely hard working" and "intelligent" are the words used to describe Solano County's newest chief deputy district attorney.

Terry Ray will be promoted to chief deputy effective May 27, following the retirement of longtime trial attorney and Chief Deputy District Attorney Jack Allen, according to District Attorney Donald A. du Bain.

Ray, a Solano County native and graduate of Fairfield High School, will replace Allen as one of three chief deputy district attorneys in Solano County.

With more than 100 jury trials under her belt, Ray has been assigned to numerous prosecution teams within the office, including the Misdemeanor, Family Violence, Juvenile and Felony Trial units and, most recently, the Major Crimes Unit, where she has prosecuted some of the office's most serious cases involving sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and homicide.

She began her career with Solano County as a courtroom clerk and later as a judicial assistant for Superior Court Judge William Harrison, who recently retired.

In 1996, she was appointed as a domestic violence paralegal in the District Attorney's Office, where she assisted hundreds of victims of domestic violence through the criminal and restraining order process. While working as a paralegal, she attended John F. Kennedy School of Law School at night and passed the California State Bar exam in 1998. She was immediately offered a position as a deputy district attorney.

"I'm very excited about my new opportunity," Ray said.

In particular, she said that she looks forward to "helping in any way I can to assist the office."

Notably, Ray last year successfully prosecuted Monica McCarrick, who, following a dual-phase trial, was convicted in the 2010 brutal slashing deaths of her twin daughters and then was sentenced to two life terms in prison without the possibility of parole.

Ray's supervisor during that time, Chief Deputy District Attorney John Daugherty, noted that Ray is invested in her cases and cares about the victims for whom she seeks justice. Daugherty also pointed out that Ray is good with people, a quality that will aid her as a manager.

Set to retire this month, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jack Allen called Ray a "terrific choice" to be promoted to chief deputy.

Allen started his career in 1983 as a deputy district attorney in San Francisco County. He has tried approximately 200 felony cases, including kidnap, rape, robbery and homicide. He was the arson prosecutor in San Francisco for more than five years, responding to all greater alarm and suspicious fires, assisting fire department personnel in the initial stages of investigation.

He came to Solano County as a deputy district attorney in 1996 and has been assigned to numerous prosecution teams, including narcotics, sexual assault and various felony trial teams. He was promoted to chief deputy in 2011.